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Man Allegedly Killed Mom With Sledgehammer To Protect Her From 'The Really Bad Stuff' He Did
Charles Trumble allegedly admitted to killing his mom, Dixie, with a sledgehammer because he felt she was a "distinguished woman."
An Indiana man who allegedly murdered his own mother with a sledgehammer said he committed the heinous act because his mom was a “distinguished woman” who would be unable to handle learning about the other crimes he has committed.
Charles Trumble, 59, called 911 himself on Sunday evening to allegedly report that he had just killed his mom, according to a Portage Police Department press release. Officers responded to the Portage home, where he lived with his 91-year-old mother, Dixie Trumble.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Charles Trumble lying on the floor of the home’s living room next to his mother. His cell phone was in his hand, The Times of Northwest Indiana reports. A spokesperson for the Portage Police Department told Oxygen.com that a sledgehammer was retrieved from the scene.
Dixie Trumble had suffered “obvious head trauma,” police stated in their release. “Officers provided immediate medical care but Ms. Trumble died at the scene.”
The Porter County Coroner’s Office has listed her cause of death as “exsanguination with blunt force trauma," police told Oxygen.com.
Investigators said Trumble admitted to killing his mother with the sledgehammer in a warped attempt to protect her.
“He stated that he was in the living room and his mother was in the same room. He further stated that he killed her because he is about to be exposed for committing awful crimes," a probable cause document, obtained by the outlet, states.
Before his mother died, and as a first responder was performing CPR on her, Trumble allegedly said, according to the charging document, "My mom was a distinguished woman. I am about to be in trouble for some really bad stuff, and I killed her so she wouldn't be exposed to it."
It's not clear what other alleged crimes he was referring to. He does not appear to have any other pending charges from any other incidents.
Trumble has been charged with murder. He is being held without bond. It’s not clear if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Trumble’s initial hearing has been scheduled for Friday, according to online court records.
The Portage Police Department has extended its condolences to the surviving members of the family.
